LONDON (Reuters) - Four-time Tour de
France winner Chris Froome could potentially be stripped of his
Vuelta a Espana title after a urine test he gave during the race in
September showed excessive levels of an asthma medication.

The 32-year-old Briton, who rides for Team Sky, says he has done
nothing wrong and would provide "whatever information" world
cycling's governing body UCI requires.

Froome became the first British rider to win the Vuelta and the
first man to claim a Tour de France/Vuelta double in the same season
since the Spanish race was moved to after the Tour.

Regarded as one of the greatest cyclists of all time, Froome has
been on a shortlist of favorites to win this month's BBC Sports
Personality of the Year award for the first time.

His spectacular year is now under a cloud, however, and he and his
Sky team will need to convince the UCI that there was nothing
sinister about the amount of Salbutamol that showed up in his urine
sample after Stage 18 on Sept. 7.

Salbutamol is permitted as a legal asthma drug by the World
Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and the UCI said Froome's failed urine
test did not necessitate a mandatory provisional suspension.

But riders have been banned for excessive use of it in the past,
notably Italian Alessandro Petacchi who was given a 12-month ban and
stripped of his five stage victories in the 2007 Giro d'Italia.

The UCI said in a statement it had notified Froome on Sept. 20 of an
'Adverse Analytical Finding" from his sample, which had double the
permissible limit of Salbutamol.

'I TOOK THE GREATEST CARE'

Team Sky issued a statement in which Froome said he had followed
medical advice and taken an increased dosage of his medication after
his asthma, a condition he has suffered with throughout his career,
became worse during the race.

"As always, I took the greatest care to ensure that I did not use
more than the permissible dose," Froome said.

"I take my leadership position in my sport very seriously. The UCI
is absolutely right to examine test results and, together with the
team, I will provide whatever information it requires."

Earlier this year Froome, who prides himself on racing clean, said
he had refused a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) to treat his asthma
on the way to winning the 2015 Tour de France.

The UCI said analysis of the rider's B sample from the Vuelta test
had confirmed the results of the A sample and proceedings were being
conducted in line with its anti-doping rules.

Team Sky rider Chris Froome of Britain celebrates on the podium
after winning the Vuelta Tour of Spain after the last stage of the
cycling race between Arroyomolinos and Madrid, September 10, 2017.
REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo

In Petacchi's case, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found
the Italian rider had not intended to cheat but that he had not
exercised "utmost caution" in the use of his asthma treatment.

Limited levels of Salbutamol are permitted by WADA rules without the
need for a TUE.

Sky said analysis of Froome's sample showed the presence of the
treatment at a concentration of 2,000 nanograms per millilitre
(ng/ml), compared with the WADA threshold of 1,000ng/ml.

Team Sky said in a statement that the notification of the test
finding did not mean any rule had been broken, saying there were a
range of "complex medical and physiological issues" that could have
led to the result.

"I have the utmost confidence that Chris followed the medical
guidance in managing his asthma symptoms, staying within the
permissible dose for Salbutamol. Of course, we will do whatever we
can to help address these questions."

The revelation comes at the end of a year in which Team Sky have
been dogged by allegations of 'wrongdoing' over its use of TUE's and
its medical record keeping after the 'jiffybag' controversy at the
Criterium du Dauphine race in 2011.

An investigation by UK Anti-Doping concluded recently, saying it had
been unable to prove what was in the package sent to former rider
and 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins.

(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai/Alan Baldwin in London;
editing by John Stonestreet)